A California woman claims her rights were violated when federal immigration officers broke into her home to arrest her husband. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) says otherwise.
Video taken from the National City home of Brianna Alonso shows ICE officers using a crowbar to break into the residence through the front door. According to San Diego’s ABC10, they were there to arrest Alonso’s husband, Alberto Alonso-Hernandez, who allegedly reentered the U.S. illegally 16 times since 2013 (Brianna Alonso claimed it was only twice). ICE also said he had a domestic violence conviction in 2014.
Alonso told the local station that her husband was going to work, then ran back inside when he saw ICE arrive. That’s when they busted in. Video of the incident shows them using tools to open the door, while Alonso and her 11-year-old daughter demanded to see a warrant.
“You watch too much movies,” one officer can be heard saying in response. “We’ll show you the warrant when we’re done.”
Alonso acknowledged that after ICE apprehended her husband, they did show her the arrest warrant.
ICE explained the situation in a statement to ABC10, saying that officers tried to arrest Alonso-Hernandez when they stopped his car, but he fled the scene. That’s what prompted officers to get the arrest warrant, which they did not need to show prior to entering, which they did after waiting outside for several hours. ICE said in their statement:
The officers are highly trained on safety precautions and legal aspects of serving an arrest warrant. An arrest warrant is handled somewhat different than a search warrant in that the officers have authorization to enter the location for the arrest of the individual named on the warrant. The priority at entry is to secure the area to ensure for officer safety and to identify the subject as quickly as possible. Yesterday’s arrest warrant was executed without incident due to ERO officer’s diligence and coordination. The family/individuals inside the residence were provided timely notification and a copy of the warrant.
[Image via ABC10 screengrab]
